Generator for electric igniters.



PATENTED JUNE 30 L. J. LE PONTOIS. l GENERATOR FOR ELECTRIC IGNITBRS.

APPLICATION FILED PEB. 15. 1902. RENEWBD JAN. 1o. 1903.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0 HODEL.

PATBNTED JUNE 30, 1903 l L. J. LE PONTOIS.

GENERATOR POR ELECTRIC IGNI'ILERS.

' APPLIoATloH FILED FEB. 15. 1902. RENBWBD JAN. 1o, 1903. lo MODEL. s SHEETS-SHEET 2 'No. 732,371. l y PATENTED JUNE 30. 1903.

L. J. LE PoNToIs. GENERATOR EUR ELECTRIC IGNITERS.

APPLICATION FILED PEB. 15. 1902. RBNEWED JAN. 10. 1903. NO MODEL. 3 SHBETS-SHEET UNITED STATES Patented June 30, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

LEON J. LE PONTOIS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO THE AUTO-IGNITER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A COR- PORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

GENERATOR FOR ELECTRIC IGNITERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 732,371, dated .T une 30, 1903. Application led February 15, 1902. Renewed January ,10, 1903. Serial No. 138,518. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LEON J. LE PONTOIS, a resident ofNew York,State of New York,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Generators for Electric Igniters; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to apparatus for producing a pulsating or intermittent electric current, and more especially to the production of sparks to be used forigniting purposes, such as in gas-engines andthe like. Its object is to produce a device for this purpose in which a current can be produced with very little expenditure of power and the efficiency of which increases with use.

1n the accompanying drawings I have shown my invention adapted as an igniter for gas or gasolene engines; but it will be understood that this is illustrative merely, as the current-generator can be used for any purpose for which an intermittent or pulsating current is adapted, and when used for igniting purposes it can be used for blasting and similar purposes as well as in explosiveengines.

In the drawings, Figure l is a section through a gas-engine, showing my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a section of the 3o same on a plane at right angles to that on which Fig. l is taken. Fig. 3 is a face View of the generator; Fig. 4., an edge view of the same; Fig. 5, a diagram showing the circuits when an induction-coil is used. Fig. 6 is a sectional detail of the cam for breaking the circuit, and Figs. 7 and S are face and edge views of a modiled form of generator.

The essentials of the generator are a permanent magnet of any desired form, prefer- 4o ably of the horseshoe type, as shown at l, having the poles 2 and 3, the former being surrounded by a coil, such as shown at 4., and a suitable movable mass of iron or similar magnetic material for closing or establishing the magnetic circuit between the poles of the magnet and through the coil, and which mass is provided with a cut-away portion or portions forming a section or sections of high magnetic reluctance, which by the movement of the mass come into the path of the magnetic flux and divert said path, so that it no longer passes through the coil, thus, in effect, moving the field with reference to the coil, which is the equivalent of moving the coil in the field. As a consequence a current will be gennerated in the coil. The movable mass which closes the magnetic path between the poles of the magnet may be of any suit-able material having a low magnetic reluctance, and preferably will be of iron. Its shape may be varied as desired, and it may be movable in any desired way, either reciprocating, oscillating, or rotary. For convenience, however, it Will be made circular in shape-that is, in the form of a wheelor disk 5-and will rotate continuously. When the device is used as an igniter for gas-engines, the iiy- Wheel of the engine can be used as this mass, and it is so shown on the drawings. This mass preferably carries one or more pieces 6 of material having a high magnetic reluctancesuch as brass, bronze, or the like-butinstead of this arrangement the piece or pieces 6 may be omitted, so as to leave one or more airgaps. These pieces, it' used, may be secured to the mass in any suitable Way--such, for instance, as being set into the periphery of the Wheel or disk-and they are desirable in order to preserve the balance of the wheel or disk.

The foregoing constitute all of the essentials of the apparatus for producing the pulsating current, and its operation is as follows: The path of the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet 1 is through the body of the mass 5, thereby passing or being threaded through the coil 4. YVhen the mass 5 is moved to bring the non-magnetic portion opposite the pole 2 of the magnet, the path of magnetic flux is interrupted and diverted, so that it will cross the space 7 between the legs of the magnet and outside of the coil 4. The effect of this is precisely the same as if the coil Were moved in the magnetic field, and a current-Wave will be generated in said coil, which current-wave rises during the time that the non-magnetic portion is passing onto or opposite the pole 2 of the magnet and falls as said portion passes away from the pole 2 of the magnet, being at its maximum about the time that said non-magnetic portion covers said pole. By suitably arranging a series of air-gaps on the moving mass a regular pulsating current can be produced; but for the purpose of an iguiter and for other purposes this will not be done.

The magnet, as heretofore stated, may be of any form of horseshoe-magnet; but preferably one or both of the poles are formed of laminated metal, which prevents the generation ot' eddy-currents, as would occur with' solid poles, and which eddy-currents tend to check the rapidity of oscillation of the magnetic linx. A very rapid oscillation of the flux is necessary in order to produce the best effects. Preferably a series of horseshoemagnets 1 are used, these being shown in Fig. 4. The laminated pole-pieces are of the form shown in Fig. 3 and are secured together by rivets or bolts 8 passing through same. The reduced portions of the polepieces preferably lie on the inside of the legs of the horseshoe-magnet, as shown, and they are secured to the magnet in any suitable way-such, for instance, as by plates 9, both inside of pole-pieces and outside of the magnets l, which plates are tied together by means of the bolts or screws 10. These plates may also be used as convenient means for attaching the magnet to the frame of the apparatus-such, for instance, as by bending the ends of said plates outward to form the ears 11, through which bolts, screws, or4 similar fastening means 12 may be passed. The bolts 8 and l0 and plates 9 are preferably made of brass or other material having a high magnetic reluctance.

It will be observed that the pole-pieces are broadened toward their lower ends and that the non-magnetic pieces 6 when used are dovetailed into the wheel. The object of this is to produce a current-wave which rises quite abruptly, has a somewhat-attened to`p, and then falls abruptly. By suitably shaping these poles and non-magnetic portions 6 currents of almost any shape can be produced. If a quickly-risingcurrent is desired, the relative shapes of these parts will be such that the piece 6 will quickly cut the path of magnetic iiuX. For a slowly-rising currentjust the opposite result will be sought-viz., so shaping the parts that the piece (5 will cut the path of magnetic flux gradually. One end of the coil Lt will preferably be grounded, as by being connected to any portion of the frame of the apparatus, as shown at 15, and the other end of said coil be connected to the working circuit 16, in which is the necessary translating device, which device in turn will be grounded. If an all-metallic circuit is used,

the translating device will be connected to the first-described end of the coil 4.

In order to insure the current being in exact synchronism with the translating device, it is desirable to adjust either the mass 5 with reference to the magnet or the magnet with reference to the mass, so that the portion 6 will interrupt or divert the magnetic iiuX at just the proper time. Any convenient arrangement for this purpose may be used, and, as shown in Fig. 1, wherein the invention is applied to a gas-engine and wherein the magnet 1 will preferably be inclosed in casing, such as shown at 17, this adjustment can be secured4 by connecting the said magnet to said casing, as shown, and providing means whereby the position of the casing can be adjusted-such, for instance, as by the the screw-and-slot connection shown at 18. `In Fig. 3 the adjustment is secured by providing the ears 11 with segmental slots 19, through which the screws or bolts 12 pass. Either of these means will secure a relative adjustment between the magnet 1 and the non-magnetic sections.

When this generator is to be used for igniting purposes or for producing a spark, a spark-gap can be placed in the circuit 16, or said circuit may be broken by any convenient means at the proper time to produce the spark. I prefer the latter arrangement, and hence the circuit 16 may be connected to an insulated plug 21, which forms one terminal of the sparking apparatus, and when used in explosive-engines will project into the cylinder 22 of said engine. The other terminal of the sparking apparatus will be movable and in position to make a direct contact with the plug 2l. This terminal is shown at 23 as an arm on a rock-shaft 24, projecting into the cylinder and having its outer end provided with an arm 25, which is actuated from a moving part of the engin e-as, for instance, by the rod 26-which in turn is moved by a cam 27 on a gear 28, connected to a gear 29 on the main shaft 30 of the engine. The object of these two gears is to adapt the igniting device to a four-cycle engine, the gears 29 and 28 being in the ratio of one to two, so that the cam on the gear 28 will rock the arm 23 once for every four reciprocations of the piston of the engine. In two-cycle engines, however, the cam'27 can be formed directly on the main shaft. rlhis cam will be so arranged that it will break the circuit at terminals 3l and 23 just after the current-wave has reached its maximum, which will be just after the non-magnetic section has f ully covered the pole of the magnet, the breaking of the current at its maximum producing a large spark. As the non-magnetic section recedes from the pole 2 it will naturally generate a current in the opposite direction. The current generated when the nonmagnetic section passes into the magnetic circuit opposes the weakening of this magnetic circuit and, according to the law of Lenz, isa magnetizing-current and will increase the strength of the magnet 1. The current flowing in the opposite direction, which would be formed when the non-mag- IOO IIO

netic section recedes from the pole, would for the same reason be a demagnetizing-current and would tend to weaken the magnet l. To prevent this weakening of the magnet, the cam 27 will be placed so as to hold the circuit open at the terminals 2l and 23 until the non-magnetic section has passed out of the magnetic field, thus preventing the demagnetization of the magnet. As a consequence this magnetwill be affected only bythe magnetizing-cnrrents, and its strength will keep on increasing until saturation is reached.

Instead of using separable terminals suitable spark-points providing a gap may be employed. In that case, however, it is preferable to insert in the circuit an inductioncoil. are shown in Fig. 5, wherein the coil 4 is shown connected to the primary coil 3l of the ind notion-coil, the circuit through these coils being grounded at both ends, as shown. The primary coil 3l is bridged by the low-resistance shunt 32, so that the current normally will pass through the shunt. This shunt is adapted to be broken at the proper time by any suitable apparatus-such, for instance, as the cam before referred to. I have, however, shown it as adapted to be broken by an insulated sector 34 on a rotated disk or shaft 35, as will be readily understood. When this shunt is broken,the current will meinentarily pass through the primary 3l, thereby inducing a current in the secondary 36 and causing a spark at the gap 37.

Figs. 7 and 8 show a modified form of generator. A cast-iron pole-piece 40 is secured to one leg of the permanent magnets l by brass bolts 4l and brass plate 42. A soft-iron casting 43 is secured to the other leg of said magnets by means of similar bolts and plates. In this casting are the soft-iron laminations 44, which are secured therein, preferably by having the metal cast around them. These laminations are provided with two pole projections 45 and 4G, around one of which is the coil 4, it beingsupported by two brass stirrups 47. The device is secured in place by the lugs 48 in such position that the pole projections 45 and 46 lie opposite the periphery of the wheel 5, while the pole-piece 40 is adjacent the face of said wheel. The latter is provided with an air gap or gaps, preferably filled with the bronze piece or pieces G. Then the non-magnetic section is not opposite the projections 45`and 46, the magnetic flux distributes itself equally in the two branches of the laminations and then to the wheel 5. l/Vhen the non-magnetic section passes underneath the projection 45, the magnetic flux, having an easy path through the projection 46, entirely abandons the branch 45, thus resulting in a very rapid shifting or oscillation of the iiux andproducing a strong sharp current in the coil.

In Fig. l I have shown the non-magnetic sections in the ily-wheel 5. These of course The circuits for such an arrangement might be multiplied around the periphery of said wheel in case it was designed to produce a practical uninterrupted pulsating current; but when used as an igniter for gas-engines three of these sections will be sufficient, the object being to create a current at different times depending upon the speed of the engine. As is well known, when the engine is running very fast the explosion should take place a little earlier than when the engine is running slowly. Each of the non-magnetic sections would naturally when it passes the pole 2 create a current in the coil 4; but the cam 27 will be so placed and will be controlled by the speed-governor so that the circuit will not be closed at the terminals 2l and 23 until just before the proper time for firing the charge, so that the next non-magnetic section that passes pole-piece 2 will generate the necessary current for producing the spark, and when said current reaches its maximum the terminals will be broken. The remaining non-magnetic sections will of course produce no effect in the coil 4, for the reason that when they pass the pole 2 the circuit will be open.

My apparatus in its broad aspect may, as above stated, be used for generating pulsating currents for any purpose or for producing sparks for any purpose, and the spe-` ciiic description of the same in connection with a gas-engineis illustrative merely. The

mass 5, as before stated, may be of any desired shape and move in any preferred way, not only by rotating it, as shown, but by reciprocating or oscillating it in front ot' the poles of the magnet precisely the same effect would be produced as by rotating the same.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a generator for producing pulsating currents, the combination with a horseshoemagnet, of a coil surrounding one of the poles thereof, and a movable mass of low magnetic reluctance adapted to close the magnetic path through said coil and provided with a section of high magnetic reluctance, whereby when said mass is moved, the section of high magnetic reluctance will divert the path of magnetic flux outside of the coil and thus generate a current in said coil, substantially as set forth.

2. In a generator for producing pulsating currents, the combination with a magnet, of a coil adjacent thereto, a movable mass of low magnetic reluctance adapted to close the magnetic path through said coil and provided with a section of high magnetic reluctance which when brought into the path of the magnetic flux will divert the same outside of the coil and generate a current in the coil, and means for breaking the circuit through IOO IIO

the coil when the section of high magnetic reluctance begins to leave the path of magnetic iiux, substantially as set forth.

3. In a generator for producingy pulsating currents, the combination with a horseshoemagnet, of a coil surrounding one of the poles of said magnet, and a rotating wheel or disk of low magnetic reluctance adjacent to the poles of said magnet for closing the path of magnetic flux through said coil and provided with a section having a high magnetic reluctance, substantially as set forth.

4. In a generator for producing pulsating currents, the combination with a horseshoemagnet, of acoil surrounding one of the poles thereof, a rotating wheel or disk of low magnetic reluctance adjacent to the poles of said magnetfor closing the path of magnetic flux through said coil and provided with a section of high magnetic reluctance whereby when said section moves into the path of magnetic flux a current is generated in the coil, and means for breaking the circuit through said coil as the section of high magnetic reluctance begins to move away from the path of magnetic flux, substantially as set forth.

5. In a generator for producing pulsating currents, the combination with a magnet, of a coil surrounding one of the poles thereof, a movable mass of low magnetic reluctance adapted to close the magnetic path through said coil and provided With a section of, high magnetic reluctance adapted to be brought into the path of magnetic uX to generate aV current in the coil, means controlled by said moving mass for breaking the circuit through the coil as the section of high magnetic reluctance begins to move away from the pole of the magnet, and means for adjusting the positions of the magnet and the section of high magnetic reluctance relatively to each other, substantially as set forth.

6. In a generator for producing pulsating currents, the combination with a horseshoemagnet, of a coil surrounding one of the poles thereof, a rotating wheel or disk of low magnetic reluctance adapted to close the path of magnetic flux through said coil and provided with a section of high magnetic reluctance adapted to be brought into the path of magnetic ilux to generate a current in the coil,

means for breaking the circuit through thecoil when the section of high magnetic reluctance begins to move away from the pole of the magnet, and means for adjusting the position of said magnet with reference to the wheel or disk, substantially as set forth.

7. In a generator for producing pulsating currents, the combination with a magnet having laminated pole-pieces, of a coil surrounding one of said pole-pieces, and a movable mass of low magnetic reluctance adjacent to said poles and adapted to close the path of magnetic iiuX through said coil and provided with a section of high magnetic reluctance adapted when brought opposite to said pole to generate a current in said coil, substantially as set forth.

8. In a spark-producing apparatus, the comraam bination with a magnet, of a coil surrounding one of the poles thereof, a movable mass of low magnetic reluctance adapted to close the magnetic path through` said coil and provided With a section of high magnetic reluctance adapted to be brought into the path of the magnetic flux and thus generate a current in the coil, and terminals in circuit with said coil between which a spark is produced by the current thus generated, substantially as set forth.

9. In a spark-producing apparatus, the combination with a magnet, of a coil surrounding one of the poles of said magnet, a movable mass of low magnetic reluctance adapted to close the magnetic path through said coil and provided with a section of high magnetic reluctance adapted to divert the path of magnetic flux outside of said coil, thereby producing a current in said coil, separable terminals in circuit with the coil, and means for separating said terminals when the section of high magnetic reluctance begins to move away from said pole, substantially as set forth.

10. In spark-producing apparatus, the combination with a magnet, of a coil surrounding one of the poles thereof, a movable mass of low magnetic reluctance adapted to close the magnetic path through said coil and provided vvith a section of high magnetic reluctance adapted to be brought into the path of magnetic ux to generate a current in the coil, separable terminals in circuit with said coil, and means controlled by said movable mass adapted to separate said terminals when the current has reached its maximum and hold the same separated until the section of high magnetic reluctance has passed out of the field of the magnet, substantially as .set forth.

ll. In an igniter for gas-engines, the combination with the cylinder and main drivingshaft, of a wheel or disk of low magnetic reluctance operated by said driving-shaft and provided with a section of high magnetic reluctance, a magnet having its poles located adjacent to said wheel or disk, a coil surrounding one of the poles of said magnet, sparking terminals in said cylinder'and electrically connected to said coil, and means controlled by the main shaft for breaking the circuit when the current generated by the section of high magnetic reluctance entering the path of magnetic ilux has reached its maximum, substantially as set forth.

l2. In an igniter for gas-engines, the combination With the cylinder and main drivingshaft, of a wheel or disk of low magnetic reluctance actuated by said driving-shaft and provided with a plurality of sections of high magnetic reluctance, a magnet having its poles adjacent to said wheel or disk, a coil surrounding one of the poles of said magnet, spark-terminals in the cylinder electrically ICO IIO

connected to said coil, and means controlled In testimony whereof I, the said LEON J.

by the speed of the engine for closing the LE PONTOIS, have hereunto set my hand. circuit as one of the sections of high magnetic reluctance approaches the pole of the magnet and 'for breaking the circuit When said section begins to leave said pole, substantially as set forth.

LEON J. LE PONTOIS.

Witnesses:

F. W. WINTER, ROBERT C. TOTTEN. 

